All Sports Bar & Grill

I feel there's always a bit of prefacing that the reader deserves when a review slants heavily in either direction, good or bad. This is one such case.

Disclosure:
Your humble reviewer is a longtime hospitality industry veteran. I spent a good portion of my life working front of house jobs in restaurants (all the way through grad school). Additionally, I "ain't from around here". While far from a yuppie, I have also never owned a pickup.

So my travels found me in the fair village of McCullom Lake. It's tiny. There's not a lot that happens in McCullom Lake, but there is this bar. The exterior/interior is kind of what you'd expect at locale such as this. Not terrible, though there are signs of some deferred maintenance. The Ritz it is not, but it's also not gross. There's a sort of non-descript "sports bar" thing going on. Something from the Office Space era.

Drink selection is also par for the course. You're not going to be getting the latest triple throwdown IPA run through an enamel hop machine or even a single malt scotch, but the selection will be better than your local bowling alley. Pricing follows a similar ethos. Not terribly expensive, though nothing that smacked of a shockingly good value either.

So far so good right?

I suppose. And if I'm fair, it was a solid 2 star review until we tried to pay our tab and leave. I had left a credit card at the bar to hold my tab. I thought it somewhat peculiar when the bartender used the wrong name with my tab, but I dismissed it as she can't be expected to remember everyone (especially an out of towner she's never seen).

She runs the card immediately without showing me the tab or asking if I'd even like to use my card.

The total is significantly more than expected. I bought a round of drinks.

Apparently someone had either been putting their drinks on my tab all night or the bartenders had mixed up two tabs. Regardless, I was now out $60 more than what I owed.

I bring this to the staff's attention and am dismissed like a WalMart slip and fall artist. And since the staff member I had initially started the tab with had left, I was told I had no recourse to speak of. I asked to see an itemized copy. It's filled up with things that, put politely, are not to my liking.

I try to plead my case but am shut down by the thoroughly "less than professional" bartender.

I leave without signing the credit card receipt. Thankfully, the bartender took the liberty of writing in a very nice tip for herself (as evidenced by my bank statement).

So yeah, mediocre place, not terribly memorable in any way except for the shaking down of people that "ain't from around here". Guys, let the $72 this place stole from me serve some good in the world. Save yourselves as it's obviously too late for me.

Great neighborhood bar with friendly service. Good drink specials, fun karaoke, all around good place. Try the loaded tater tots!

Great Karaoke on a pro sound system with full light show Wed. & Fri. Real good live bands on Saturday with Minimal cover charge usually 3bucks ...the new cook has changed the menu around and the food has gotten better the fish fry is great friendly service & a lot of great people to be met here ...A hidden gem...they know how to make a good stiff drink...during bigger events get there early the parking lot can get full but there is extra parking @ the shopping center